The Joe Cole signing

It is no surprise that he didn't end up at Arsenal. He simply didn't fit the strict wage structure.

In 05/06 Liverpool conceded 25 league goals, 06/07 it was 27, then 28, then 27 again, until last season where that jumped to 35. Joe Cole is not a solution to this issue.

If Joe Cole plays on the left, he is entering the position that was often occupied by Benayoun. If we look at it as a straight swap with Benayoun then Liverpool have secured a bargain with the reported £5-6 million for Benayoun plus J Cole.

Is this enough intent to keep Gerrard and Torres? No, this move doesn't show enough intent on its own. In fact it shows the opposite, they don't have the cash for bigger moves.

Who else could Liverpool sign to show true intent? I do think that Gerrard and Torres will stick around, and I don't think it will take too much more for Liverpool to get back to where they were a couple of years ago. With Jovanovic they have signed another solid top 4 player, and if injuries at the back stay clear then the quad of Carragher, Kyrgiakos, Agger and Skrtel ought to be strong enough.

If you were to question areas of which Liverpool could improve after last season you would suggest that the defence wasn't strong enough all across the line, the spine of the team was a mess after Alonso left, there was no consistency on the wings, was it Babel, Benayoun, Riera, Rodriguez or Aurelio? And you would also say that there wasn't proper cover for Torres.

So how have they dealt with this? Well the defence ought to fix itself in the centre, Agger and Skrtel ought to fare better with injuries this year. Carragher is a worry, the reliance on a player who is still good but perhaps not what he once was is dangerous. Johnson will need to improve defensively, and I don't know what they are doing at left back. Oh how they miss John Arne Riise and his 122 abs. At least Pepe Reina is genuinely World Class. Perhaps it is Roy Hodgson's first job, to fix the defence that had Liverpool winning trophies before last year.

Reina, Johnson, Agger, Carragher, Mascherano, Aquilani, Gerrard, J Cole, Kuyt, TorresIt looks strong, except for the gap at left back, with Aurelio gone and Insua set to leave, it looks like Degen might play there for a while, or perhaps Agger will cover with Skrtel in the centre.

There is cover too with Jovanovic, Riera, Kyrgiakos, Babel, Rodriguez, Lucas, N'gog, Spearing, Pacheco and Shelvy. The problem again is sufficient defensive cover.

So all in all, Joe Cole is certainly a good signing with minimal risk. Liverpool still have a good squad which is actually looking strong in attack, but where is the defensive depth?